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8:15 AM HBO
Marathon Boy (2011 GB-IND): How do you fancy running a half-marathon? It’s only 13 miles. Don’t be such a baby. Now, how would you feel about a real baby (well, okay, infant) running a half-marathon? By the time Indian youngster Budhia Singh turned three, he had already completed three of the things! This startling and rather disturbing documentary takes a look at the littlest long distance runner of them all, who now - thanks to his owner (ahem, "trainer") regularly runs 40, 50, or even 60 miles at a go. Some might call it child abuse, but I call it a great way to get lots of fresh air. Also airs at 11:15 AM and throughout the month.

Thursday 11/10/11

Midnight Flix
The Trial of Billy Jack (1974 USA): TCM has shown the first Billy Jack film (Born Losers) on a couple of occasions, but its more popular sequels haven’t had much television exposure over the years. That changes this week, when all three BJ sequels will be airing - albeit on different channels, and (maddeningly) out of sequence. First up is the third film in the series, in which our Native American hero (Tom Laughlin) returns from a stint in jail to discover that all is not well at the Freedom School operated in his absence by edumacator and love interest Jean Roberts (Delores Taylor). Seems the townsfolk still haven’t warmed up to the School’s librul shenanigans, and soon Billy Jack must kick ass once again in order to get his point across (whatever it is). This exploitation classic was a big hit at the box office despite its epic-length 170-minute running time, and co-stars Marlon Brando’s favorite American Indian, Sacheen Littlefeather.

Friday 11/11/11

2:05 AM Encore Suspense
Dragnet (1954 USA): Just the facts ma’am: after creating Officer Joe Friday and friends for radio and television, Jack Webb decided the character needed a big screen presence, too. Hence this Mark VII production, in which Friday and friends work tirelessly to solve the murder of a bookie (Dub Taylor). It’s little more than an extended episode of the series, but if you’re a Dragnet fan it’s an essential part of your pop culture diet.

6:50 AM Encore Suspense
Mirage (1965 USA): Gregory Peck plays an amnesia victim in this first-rate thriller from director Edward Dmytryk. Peck is David Stillwell, an accountant who finds himself dazed and confused in a New York City office building during a blackout. Meanwhile, a man falls to his death from the 27th floor - and though Stilwell doesn’t realize it at first, the victim was an old colleague he’d previously worked with for two years. As David tries to dredge up old memories and find out what’s going on, all sorts of barriers are put in his way - and danger lurks behind every corner. If you enjoyed John Frankenheimer’s Seconds, you’ll get similar satisfaction from Mirage, which co-stars Walter Matthau, Kevin McCarthy, and George Kennedy.

Saturday 11/12/11

8:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Zorro’s Fighting Legion (1939 USA): All the loose ends are neatly tied up - as are the baddies - in the final chapter of this Republic chapter play.

9:00 AM Turner Classic Movies
Tarzan and the Jungle Boy (1968 USA): Tarzan’s long cinema run came to an end in 1968: Saturday matinees were on their way out, and youngsters were no longer captivated by stock footage of wild animals and a man in a loincloth. This was the final Tarzan pic until his triumphant return in 1985 via Hugh Hudson’s vastly superior Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes. Did the T-man go out with a bang? Well, not really: it’s a very routine tale of his efforts to locate a young lad lost in the jungle for six months. There’s not a great deal to recommend here, other than some decent widescreen cinematography by Turkish DoP Ozen Sermet.

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